Tomás Rau
Chilean economist and politician (born 1958)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tomás Andrés Rau Binder (born 18 April 1973) is a Chilean economist, academic, consultant, and researcher of German descent who serves as Minister of Labor and Social Welfare since 11 March 2026 under President José Antonio Kast.[1][2] Previously he served as director of the Institute of Economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC).[3]
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Tomás Rau | |
|---|---|
Rau in 2026 | |
| Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare | |
| Assumed office 11 March 2026 | |
| President | José Antonio Kast |
| Preceded by | Giorgio Boccardo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 April 1973 Santiago, Chile |
| Party | Ind. |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Occupation | Economist |
Education
Rau completed his primary and secondary education at Liceo No. 11 Rafael Sotomayor in Las Condes, Santiago.[4]
He earned a degree in business administration (ingeniería comercial) from the University of Chile.[5]
Rau later obtained a master’s degree in statistics and a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a doctoral student of economist and Nobel Prize laureate David Card. His academic specialization focuses on econometrics and labor economics.[1]
Academic and professional career
Between 2020 and March 2025, Rau served as director of the Institute of Economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.[3] After leaving the post, he began a sabbatical period during which he carried out academic activities abroad, including serving as a visiting professor at Columbia Business School in the United States.[6]
He has co-authored academic research with economists such as José De Gregorio, David Bravo, Sergio Urzúa, and Francisco Gallego, among others.
Consulting and advisory work
According to his professional profile, Rau has acted as a consultant for international organizations including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme. He has also advised private companies, business associations, and public institutions, served as an expert witness before the Chilean Competition Tribunal, and worked with the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office of Chile on competition matters.[1]
Public debate and policy engagement
Rau has been an active participant in public debate on economic and labor policy through opinion columns and media interviews. He is a regular columnist for the digital outlet Ex-Ante and for La Tercera.
In 2024, he was part of a group of 17 economists from diverse ideological backgrounds who authored the policy document “El Puente: Uniendo visiones para retomar la ruta del crecimiento en Chile”, an initiative promoted by economist Rolf Lüders aimed at outlining guidelines for Chile’s economic growth.[7]
Honors
Rau has received several distinctions, including the Circle of Honor Award from the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Chile, the Teaching Excellence Recognition Award (PRED) from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in 2019, and the Centenary Medal of the Faculty of Economics and Administration of the same university in 2024.[8]